Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S4W-19100

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 17 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of private tenancy deposits has been paid into a protected deposit scheme.

Question reference: S4W-19165

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S4W-18881 and S4W-18886 by Michael Matheson on 8 January 2014, whether it supports the prohibition of so-called "gay to straight conversion therapy".

Question reference: S4W-18865

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by David Stewart on 9 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what arrangements are in place for its staff who are not members of trades unions to raise concerns or negotiate on issues such as terms and conditions.

We recognise three unions PCS, Prospect and FDA, and actively encourage membership as part of our employment processes. We consult and negotiate with them jointly as the TUS (Trade Union Side) on concerns or issues such as staff terms and conditions.

In addition we have a Parliamentary Staff Forum where staff members can raise issues on any general aspect of working in the Scottish Parliament; this is open to all staff. The Staff Forum is also used as a consultative forum by management on emerging policies and initiatives but does not have any negotiating role in relation to terms and conditions. All staff can also raise concerns about any issues, including terms and conditions, with the HR Office or their line manager

Question reference: S4W-18868

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by David Stewart on 9 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what information it has on the proportion of its staff who are members of trades unions, also broken down by (a) office and (b) team.

Question reference: S4W-18866

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by David Stewart on 9 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what information it has on what proportion of its staff were members of trades unions at the beginning of each session.

We do not seek to monitor the proportion of staff that are members of trade unions.

Trade union membership is considered to be sensitive personal data in terms of the provisions of the Data Protection Act (1998). As such, information on trade union membership must only be processed for the purpose for which processing is necessary. The Trade Unions and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 requires the Scottish Parliament to hold data on employees’ trade union membership for the purpose of making deductions from pay for trade union subscriptions. Data relating to membership of trade unions is held only for this purpose, and not for the purpose of monitoring.

Question reference: S4W-18881

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 8 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Counsellors and Psychotherapists (Regulation) Bill introduced in the UK Parliament will apply to Scotland.

The Counsellors and Psychotherapists (Regulation) Bill is a Private Members Bill proposed by Geraint Davies MP. Though the regulation of new groups is devolved, ministers of all four countries have committed to maintaining a consistent approach for healthcare professionals working across national boundaries. This Bill was introduced without the support of the UK Government and no Legislative Consent Motion has been passed by the Scottish Parliament. This legislation would therefore not apply to Scotland in the event it is passed into law by the Westminster Parliament.

Question reference: S4W-18886

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 8 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it supports the objectives of the Counsellors and Psychotherapists (Regulation) Bill introduced in the UK Parliament.

The Scottish Government works closely with the Department of Health, other devolved administrations and the regulators in the interests of patient safety. We believe that full statutory regulation should not be the default approach and support the Accredited Voluntary Registration scheme of the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care as a proportionate, risk-based, alternative for new groups.

Question reference: S4W-18479

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 5 December 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-17672 by Fergus Ewing on 23 October 2013, when it will publish its consultation on the regulation of the coal industry.

Question reference: S4W-18480

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 4 December 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers the use of "letters of comfort" by local planning authorities to be appropriate where they allow the continued operation of an opencast coal mine where it has become apparent that environmental restoration, required as mitigation in the environmental impact assessment at the time of consent, will no longer be delivered, and what the reason is for its position on this matter.

The Scottish Government expects planning authorities to ensure that mitigation measures required by a planning permission are implemented.

A planning authority may routinely discuss with operators, licensees, landowners and regulators the recommencement of opencast coal operations to facilitate restoration, requiring written confirmation of the planning authority’s position on certain matters.

Question reference: S4W-18481

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 4 December 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether the cost of infraction proceedings would fall to a local planning authority where these were the result of a failure to adequately implement planning controls, and what the reason is for its position on this matter.

The UK Government is responsible for responding to infringement proceedings for a breach of EU law by any public authority in the UK and for paying any financial penalties imposed in that respect. Where proceedings relate to a devolved matter, the financial penalties may be passed on to the Scottish Government under the Concordat on Co-ordination of EU Policy.

Part 2 of the Localism Act 2011 enables a Minister of the Crown to make an order to require a public authority to make payments towards a financial penalty imposed by the Court of Justice of the European Union through the making of an order designating the authority as being responsible in respect of that particular breach. No such order has yet been made in respect of a Scottish local authority.

To date, the Court of Justice of the European Union has not imposed any financial penalty against the United Kingdom under the Treaty of the European Union.